by chance

phrase

: in the haphazard course of events

they met by chance

Examples of by chance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When there are multiple logical possibilities for what the next word should be, the model typically selects one of those words by chance, based on their relative frequencies in the data. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Some stopped during their lunch break, while others stumbled across the competition by chance. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

The United States did not become a scientific superpower by chance. — H. Christopher Frey, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

The prosecutor said their paths crossed by chance and that the roles in the criminal case could easily have been reversed. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for by chance

• advance
• askance
• enhance
• expanse
• finance
• freelance
• mischance
• perchance
• romance
• circumstance
• esperance
• exceedance